Floyd Mayweather Jr., right, reaches with a left to the body of Marcos Maidana, from Argentina, in their WBC-WBA welterweight title boxing fight Saturday, May 3, 2014, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

Marcos Maidana, left, from Argentina, drives Floyd Mayweather Jr. against the ropes in the first round of their WBC-WBA welterweight title boxing fight Saturday, May 3, 2014, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

Floyd Mayweather Jr., right, is driven through the ropes by Marcos Maidana in their WBC-WBA welterweight title boxing fight Saturday, May 3, 2014, in Las Vegas. Mayweather won the bout by majority decision. (AP Photo/Eric Jamison)

Floyd Mayweather Jr., center, poses with his corner and a champion's belt after his WBC-WBA welterweight title boxing fight against Marcos Maidana Saturday, May 3, 2014, in Las Vegas. Mayweather won the bout by majority decision. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

Considering he almost pulled off one of the greatest upsets in boxing history before running out of gas, the topic undoubtedly will be discussed for years to come.

A pre-fight demand forced Maidana to switch from his preferred model of Everlast gloves, and though the 11-to-1 underdog took the early lead, he faded in the later rounds as Mayweather (46-0, 26 KOs) escaped the thrilling street brawl by majority decision.

“I would describe this fight as a tough, competitive fight,” Mayweather said. “I wanted to give the fans an exciting fight. … Tonight, I wanted to show the fans I could give them their money’s worth.”

Mayweather, who kept his WBC welterweight world title and added Maidana’s WBA version of the belt, won on two of the judges’ scorecards. Michael Pernick’s 114-114 tally was overruled by Burt Clements (117-111) and Dave Moretti (116-112).

Mayweather netted a guaranteed purse of $32 million in the triumph. The win also made the 37-year-old — who owns the same title belts in the junior middleweight division — the first fighter in history to be the unified world champion at 147 and 154 pounds simultaneously.

It didn’t come easy.

Maidana’s crude but relentless aggression pushed Mayweather onto the ropes in the early going, with a chopping overhand right the Argentine’s weapon of choice. But Mayweather – who endured a cut over his right eye in the fourth round – solved the puzzle midway through the bout.

“It came from an accidental headbutt and I couldn’t see,” Mayweather said of the cut. “A true champion can make adjustments.”

As the bout progressed, he was able to time Maidana’s free-flowing barrages with precise head movement and pinpoint counterpunching, especially right-hand uppercuts. The final punch stats had Mayweather outlanding Maidana by a slim 230-221 margin; the 221 connects were the most ever recorded on Mayweather, according to CompuBox.

Of course, the question now becomes whether the heavier Maidana’s shots would have caused more damage if he were allowed to use the original approved gloves. He outweighed Mayweather by 17 pounds at Friday’s weigh-in.

“I thought I won,” Maidana said. “Floyd did not fight like a man, like I expected. I had to change the gloves, and I still gave a great fight.”

Mayweather almost pulled out of the fight after the weigh-in, livid that his opponent’s preferred light blue Everlast MX gloves lacked the legal amount of padding.

Ultimately, Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs) was forced to don a different model — Everlast Powerlocks. Robert Garcia, his Oxnard-based trainer, objected to no avail, noting the Nevada commission approved a separate pair of red Everlast MX gloves that Mayweather’s camp also would not accept.

Maidana, who took home a guaranteed $1.5 million, hoped to replicate his December performance against Adrien Broner, when he physically overwhelmed the rising star from Cincinnati en route to a shocking victory. The 30-year-old came painfully close to his objective.

“Other fighters respected (Mayweather) and didn’t go toe to toe, like I did,” Maidana said. “He dominated some rounds, but the majority, I dominated.”

Mayweather, who completed the third installment of a lucrative six-bout deal with Showtime on pace to be worth over $200 million, has said he plans to return in September.

“If the fans want to see it again, we can do it again,” Mayweather said of a rematch.

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said at the postfight press conference that he expects the pay-per-view buys to exceed 1 million.

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